The game of love
by GorgonaGranger
Summary: What could happen if Thorin and Kili, decide to play matchmaker for Fili? What if they decide that his brother/nephew needs a partner with whom spend the rest of his life? Will they succeed? Nothing good can come from a bored king and prince, especially if you are the target of their plans. [Fili/OC] Rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! **

**Well, this is my first Fili/OC and I hope that you like it. It takes place five years since the battle of the five armies which Thorin, Fili and Kili survived. **

**I apologise for any mistake in the spelling and I do not own any of the Hobbit's character(unfortunately). **

**So...Enjoy it ^^**

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There is a time in the life of every dwarf woman in which she must change the wild adventures for fine evenings of sewing and chatting while she waits for her "one" to come and find her.

However, that was not exactly what Zahira had on mind. She would much rather go hunting with her father than attend to another sewing class with her mother and younger sister. But to her utter annoyance, since she was the elder daughter it was upon her to find a suitable dwarf to whom marry and bear as much children as she could. She couldn't help but wince at the thought.

It was not that she didn't want to marry and have children, though she considered herself a little too young for that. The only problem was that dwarves only loved once, and she had already found her "one". Who unfortunately, seemed to be regardless about her and her feelings as he went on an unexpected journey to reclaim the Dwarves homeland, Erebor, without even say goodbye to her.

But who cares about the past? Certainly not her. No, she was over it. In fact, her whole family and her were traveling to Erebor, to show their respects to the King Under the Mountain and his nephews and in words of her mother "_Find a suitable husband for her daughters". _Which only meant one thing: match both, her and her sister, with someone from royalty.

She let out a little sigh at that particular thought. The last thing she wanted to do was facing her secret "child" crush again after all these years. She was sure that he would most certainly not remember her. Why would he? She was only some random girl with which he and his brother used to hang before they left with their uncle, who now was King Under the Mountain.

"Hurry up Zahira! Otherwise we'll never get there before the sundown" cried her mother with her shrill pitch. That brought her back from her not very cheerful thoughts. She stroked her pony in its head as a silent command, making him move a little bit more faster to try to catch up with her family.

Couple of hours later, she found herself unable to blink as her eyes caught sight of one of the most incredible places she had ever seen. In front of her stood two huge statues of the Dwarves warriors her father used to talk about in his stories. Between them, there was a path, full of people; traders, soldiers, nobles and commoners. All mixed up making a rather curious picture.

As they got closer, she eyed every single place, stone or person she could without loosing sight of her father, who was riding ahead. She almost got lost a couple of times but, fortunately the eccentric colors of her mother's dress helped her not to.

"Now listen to me carefully, I don't want any of you fighting, do I make myself clear?" worn them the older woman with a stern look. Both, Zahira and her sister nodded obediently "Good, because we're about to meet King Thorin and I will not let any of you embarrass me or your father" she gave them a scowl before her face changed in a more relaxed and warm one. The woman turned to grab her husband's arm and started to pull them toward the main entrance.

Both sisters suppressed a chuckle when their father turned a little to look back at them with a funny grimace. They followed the couple across the hall, which was no easy task since it was packed with what seemed to be hundreds of dwarfs. Apparently, everyone wanted to greet the new king. And obviously, giving the amount of young female dwarfs, everyone was eager to match their single daughters with either of the royal family.

That was what Zahira had been thinking when she realized that she was surrounded by strangers, and that neither of her parents or sister were next to her. She started to look around her hoping to cast sight of her mother's dress or her father's vivid red hair when she heard the deep and stormy voice of her father.

"I am Braìn, son of Fraìn. This is my wife Gilda daughter of Wilda and these are my daughters, Tahira, the younger and...Zahira?" the man looked confused to his wife, who had a distress look in her round face as she gazed the crowd searching for her daughter. "Zahira! Where are you?"

"Here! I'm here...just gimme a second" she cried as she struggled to free herself from the crowd. She tried to push her way through a particular large dwarf that didn't seem to notice her efforts. So when she realized that he would not be moving anytime soon, she took in a deep breath before doing what, later, she would most certainly regret. She bent down enough to go through the open legs of the dwarf crawling her way to the other side.

The crowd started to whisper and chuckle quietly once she stood on her feet again smoothing down her dress nervously. She sent an apologetic smile to her father before she went to join them. When she had finally reached her place alongside her sister, she made a deep bow blushing.

"And this is my elder daughter Zahira" her father introduced her with a brief sigh. Although she did not want to look at them, and especially no to him after she had made a fool of herself, she raised her gaze to find the three men staring back at her with very different looks. But the one thing they all shared was a glint of amusement in their eyes.

She was praying for the ground to open and swallow her all when a deep voice from above her said in a mocking tone:

"Well, you sure know how to make an entrance, lady Zahira"

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**And this was the first chapter, what did you think? Worth continuing it? Let me know if you like it or not, thanks for reading**

**C.A.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! Here I am with the next chapter. I'm sorry for the delay but I have a week packed with exams. **

**Anyway, thank so much for your reviews, favourites and follows! They make my day ^^**

**Finduila88: thank you for telling me the mistake, I've corrected it on the other one :)**

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When all the presentations where finished and every family was led to their rooms, Thorin allowed himself to take a more relaxing stance in the throne. He let out a brief sigh before turning his gaze to his nephews. They seemed to be just as tired as he was.

Funny because he did not remember being this tired during their journey. No, he was always ready for some action, in fact, he was finding himself eager for any kind of action.

"What are the two of you mumbling about?" he asked as he leaved his seat and went to join them.

"Fili was wondering..." started Kili with a grin on his beardless face before he was cut in by his brother.

"Nothing, uncle" Thorin frowned a little at the quick answer. And he was about to press on when he saw his nephew's ears turning into a bright red. He took pity on the blond dwarf and decided that he would ask Kili when they were alone.

"Then you'd better be off to your bed chambers. Tomorrow you have training in the morning" he heard them groan at that before they headed to the corridors. Once he was left alone, he eyed the spot in front of his thrown where not very long ago had taken place a rather peculiar moment.

He tried to hold back an amused smile as the image of the young and strange lady popped up on his mind. Some would have said that she looked plain with her common dark brown hair, her light brown eyes and her beardless face; but he had been watching her. He had seen how the light of the hall changed those brown eyes into green, with even some yellow sparkles around the iris. The girl had an intelligent and witty look.

He shook his head dismissing his previous thoughts and headed to his own chambers. Tomorrow might be a little bit more interesting than he had first thought.

Once she was awake, Zahira shank her head into her pillows not wanting to face reality. Certainly not after her "wonderful" entrance the night before. And it was not as if her parents wanted to see her either. They had given her a long and exhausting lecture about how she had disgraced the family with her unladylike attitude.

However, the sound of her groaning stomach made it clear that she was not going to be able to stay much longer inside her bed. With a tired sigh, she left the warmth of the blankets and headed to her new wardrobe. She picked the first pair of breeches she found and a very comfortable white shirt. They were a little baggy for her, but that was the reason she had chosen them. She braided her long curls into a single braid that fell over her shoulder and left the room rather satisfied with her appearance.

She walked through the dim corridors without really know where she was heading. When she turned right, she found herself on a dead end. She cursed under her breath the dwarves's architecture. Seriously, what was the point on doing that? Nevertheless, before she could leave, voices were heard not far from where she was.

"I'm telling you, I will not give this up" one cried in a low whisper.

"And I'm with you darling as always. But you have to trust me on this, I need you to be patience" replied another one, this time the voice belonging to a woman.

"Patience is for losers, not for kings" said the man haughtily. She heard the woman shush her partner hastily.

"Are you insane or what?! Walls have ears, remember?" the voice sounded quite exasperated. It was clear to Zahira that this was not the first time she dealt with his reckless attitude.

Zahira heard the man dismissing her worries before they were off. She took that as a sing that it was safe to come out from her hiding place.

She was not sure of what to think, or even if she should do anything about what she had just heard 'cause clearly, someone wanted the thrown for its own. However, she decided that the smartest thing to do would be wait and see how things go since she hadn't even seen who were the ones talking.

It took her almost thirty minutes to find the dining hall, so by that time her stomach was sounding as if she had eaten a wild beast. Alive.

Once inside the room, the smell of warm food filled her senses making her shut her eyes delighted. There was nothing a good meal could not repair.

She was taking the second loaf of bread with bacon when she saw from the corner of her eyes the look of disgust that a group of she-dwarves were giving her. Immediately, she left the food and turned her head to the other side feeling her cheeks heating up. All of a sudden, she felt self conscious of her body; of her round hips and full breasts. Mother had always told her that it was not a disadvantage, that women should look like women; but it was rather difficult to believe in what she said.

"I wouldn't pay much attention to them, lass" said a gentle voice beside her. It was a dwarf with a floppy hat and three braids.

"I don't know what you're talking about sir" she replied trying to look clueless. When the man didn't look away, she let out a defeated sigh "Am I that obvious?"

"Not at all, but I've seen this happening quite a lot to my brother" he said shrugging a little.

"And what does he does?" she asked feeling a bit more amused. He sent her a cheeky smile before taking two loaves and placing them on her plate.

"Take double" they both burst out laughing making some people look at them curious.

"Well, as much as I appreciate your advice sir, I think that I might need some help finishing everything" she said smiling at him comfortable. He feigned a serious look and raising a hand to his heart he said:

"In that case my lady, I will sacrifice myself to help you finish it" and with that, they both headed to an empty table. "I'm Bofur by the way"

"Zahira"

"And tell me Zahira, what brings you here?" he said after biting his own loaf.

"My mother and her desire of marrying my sister and I to someone from royalty, just like if we were cattle" she answered bluntly. Bofur chocked a little at that.

"You sure are honest, lass" she shrugged in her seat and gave a small mouth taste of her food. She shut her eyes with pleasure letting out a soft moan.

"For Durin's Beard this is delicious" she said in a half sigh before opening her eyes again only to find Bofur and another two young men staring at her. Taken aback she tried to swallow as fast as she could without chocking in the process. She mentally cursed herself and blushed profusely as she looked at the two familiar dwarves.

"Well, clearly we'll have to taste that as well" said the dark haired one with sly smile gazing her.

"_Great, just great"_

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**And here it ends.**

** Hope you liked it and as always, if you have any suggestions or whatever, don't hesitate to tell me. I'd appreciate them.**

**(In case it was not clear, the cursive letter is for thoughts :D)**

**C.A.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello!**

**Here with the next chapter! Yay! I'm so happy that you guys like it. I was a bit nervous :D**

**Thanks for all the favs, follows and reviews! They make me smile every time I see them.**

**So, hope you like the chapter ^^**

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"So tell us Bofur, who's your friend?" asked Kili as he took the seat in front of Zahira. She felt a bit down when they didn't recognize her. She knew it had been many years, but still.

"Zahira, let me introduce you to Fili and Kili, nephews of Thorin Oakenshield" he said faking a bow.

"At your service" they said at once making her smile a bit.

"I'm honored my princes"

"Please save the formalities, that make us sound like something we're not" said Kili taking a slice of bacon from Bofur's plate.

"Which would be...?" she asked curious.

"Gentlemen" he answered with his mouth full of bacon and a funny smirk. At that, she couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"So that would make the two of you..."

"Warriors" replied Fili with his deep voice beside her sending shivers down her back. She had been trying to ignore his presence, but clearly, her body refused to do so.

After his response, it fell a silence in the table that was broken by the husky call of King Thorin for his nephews. They stiffened in their seats before standing up.

"It's been a pleasure lady Zahira" and with that, they were off to meet their uncle.

"Well, that was awkward" said Bofur rubbing the back of his head.

"Indeed"

"So...what were we talking about?" he started after a brief silence.

"Food"

"Right, so let me tell you something, she-dwarves are supposed to be strong, round and soft, unlike what this current fashion says. You see those ladies there? They remind me to elves, all angles and fragility, which if you ask me, is not something I'm very into" said Bofur as he made a funny wince.

"I know someone that is quite into elves" replied Zahira with sarcasm filling her tone and arching one brow to the man.

"Yeah well about that, as much as I like the lass, he's kinda special" they both laughed at that looking at the dark haired dwarf.

"So basically, you're telling me that men would rather be with me than with them" she pointed out with disbelief.

"Exactly"

"Then why is it that I don't have a single suitor?" she said teasingly.

"Well..." he started but seemed to think it twice and shut his mouth.

"Yes...?" she encouraged him.

"It might have something to do with your...clothes and attitude" he seemed to be expecting her to be outraged or something as he pushed his chair a bit away from her. When she did not seem to understand his point, he continued "They're not too flattering, to say something"

Now she was outraged.

Well maybe not that much.

Okay not at all since she was honest enough to admit that the last thing she usually cares about are clothes. She thought about that for brief moment before turning her gaze to Bofur.

"Would you help me? I mean with the cloth's issue" obviously, that was not the answer he had been expecting since he looked at her totally puzzled.

"Am, yeah sure lass, though I think that it'd be better if you did it with your mom or your sister if you have" Zahira couldn't help but wrinkle her nose at that particular thought.

"Trust me on this, if you want to keep your mental healthiness intact, don't ever go with either of them anywhere near a shop" Bofur let out a chuckle before taking his plate.

"Right, then lass, I believe it's time for me to go. Unfortunately, I've got work that needs to be done"

"Oh, okay see you around I guess" she said surprised by his sudden departure.

So without anything else to do and feeling again the uncomfortable glares of some ladies, she picked up her plate and went to leave it. Once she was outside of the mountain, she let her gaze wander around the stunning views. There was something incredibly magic about this mountain with its cities below.

In the distance, she spotted what seemed to be a little town that she had not seen during her journey.

"Am, excuse me" said a trembling voice from behind her that took her off guard. She held back a very unladylike curse as she turned to face a rather young she-dwarf with a lovely face that reminded her to the dolls her father used to buy for her.

"Hey laddie, what do you want?" she said smiling and bending on her knees to level herself with the girl. She wriggled slightly looking a bit unsure.

"Well, we were wondering..." "_We?"_ Zahira thought before seeing a small group of she-dwarves that seemed to be about the same age as the one in front of her "...why aren't you wearing a dress?" she finished more confident than at the beginning. That, was something Zahira did not expect, at all. Confused by the question, she replied:

"Why? You mean that you lads never wear breeches or trousers?" the girl simply shook her head. By that time, the rest of the group had apparently decided that she was not going to eat them or something similar, as they started to approach them. "Then how do you manage to run or play without tripping over with it?"

"We don't run; that is not how a young lady should behave" said one the other girls as if she was reciting it from a book.

"Okay, then if you don't run around, what do you do to have fun?" Zahira asked half certain of what the answer would be.

"Sewing"

"Reading"

"Playing an instrument" they started to say. Zahira shut her eyes for a fleeting moment feeling bad for the girls. And it was not as if those activities were any worse than others, but for girls as young as they looked, being seated all the day was not something she would call fun. Silently, she thanked her parents for not being as strict as others seemed to be.

When she opened her eyes, she was surrounded by many pairs of little and curious eyes. And then, an idea popped up on her mind.

"All right, and what would you think about sneaking out to play some real games?" the excited nod in agreement was answer enough for her, "But remember, you can not tell it to your parents, okay?" again, all of them nodded quickly.

Once the arrangement was settled and the girls were off to their classes, Zahira gazed the small town at the beginning of the mountain with interest.

"Hello dear sister" said Tahira as she approached her with a smile that anyone would have found lovely except Zahira. She knew very well her sister to be fooled by that.

"What is it that you want Tahira?"

"I'm offended that you asked that sister" replied her sister with a rather annoying tone.

"Oh please save it. Make us a favor and just say what you want from me" she said folding her arms in front of the chest and fixing her with a challenging look. Suddenly, the bright smile of the woman faded a little before she let out a sigh.

"I need you to pick up something from one shop in Dale" she said dryly. _So that what was the name, uh" _thought Zahira. She had been planning on visiting the village anyway but that didn't mean that Tahira should know it.

"And why would I do that _dear sister_?" she said teasingly.

"Because, you owe me for what you did yesterday" replied Tahira with an even more teasing voice.

Zahira cursed silently at that at the same time as she felt her cheeks blushing. Her sister always knew how to make her do what she wanted. Defeated, she let out a growl and grabbed the small bag with coins that her sister was holding. She told her where to find it and how it looked like.

"When did you even got the time for shopping?"

"You'd be surprised sister" replied her mysteriously and with that, she left her alone again.

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**And here it ends.**

** Hope you enjoyed reading it and if you have the time, leave a review to let me know if you liked it or not ;D And if anyone have any special suggestion for a chapter don't hesitate to tell me.**

**C.A.**


	4. Chapter 3 (2nd part)

**Hi!**

**Well, here is the second part of chapter 3. I'm sorry that I didn't say that it would be in two parts, it's because I'm playing it by ear mostly.**

**Anyway, I hope you like it as much I did writting it, though it's shorter than the others.**

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It was early in the evening when Zahira heard several footsteps approaching her. She had told the girls to meet her in a near clearing not far from the gardens of the Mountain. It was a lovely place that she had seen during her journey.

She turned to face the girls with a smile that promptly faded and was replaced with a confused frown. In front of her Fili and Kili, heirs of the Kingdom, were being dragged by a bunch of giggling little girls. She barely held back a laugh as she noticed the amused smile on them. It was a picture she shall never forget.

With her arms crossed, she waited till they reached her. The girl with whom she had been speaking earlier sent her a bright smile that Zahira found rather contagious.

"I thought we agreed that you would not tell anyone about this" she said feigning a stern look.

"You told us not to tell it to our parents, but you didn't mention about not telling it to other people" replied the girl cheekily. Behind her, the two men were trying to hide an amused smirk.

"Fair enough, have you told them already what this is about?" the girl nodded quickly.

"So tell us lady Zahira, which is the game you wanna play?" said Kili with a sly smile and rising up and down his brows.

"Well, I don't know about you my princes, but I remember having a good time playing the blind hen**(*)**" they seemed to think about it for a while till they shook their heads at the same time.

"Doesn't ring a bell" and so, she started to explain to them and to everyone what it consisted about. One had to tie up a handkerchief around someone else's eyes, make him turn three times and leaf him. The aim of the game was that the "blind hen" had to catch someone and guess who it was. It was simple and easy to play.

"All right, so who wants to be the blind hen?" she asked to her audience.

"Me! Me!" cried Kili rising his hand. Everyone started to laugh at that as Zahira tied the handkerchief around Kili's head.

"You see anything?" she asked moving a hand on front of his face.

"Nope" he said, however, when Fili feigned to through a punch to his face, Kili moved away to avoid it.

"Cheater!" cried all the girls at once and he just shrugged in his place. Once they made sure he didn't see anything, the game started. At first, it seemed to be rather easy to avoid him, but as the game continued Kili started to get better and many of them barely escaped from him.

As they had marked the lines of the ground and nobody could go out without losing, it started to be clear that it would not take long before any of them were caught.

The place went silent when Kili finally caught someone, who was none other than his brother. He ran his hands over his head and slightly pulled the braids of his mustache.

"Mmm... I wonder, I wonder; who could this be?"

"Don't even think about it" warned Fili before his brother could pull again his braids. All the girls were quiet and barely able to hold their laughter.

"Ooh! So it was you brother" said Kili playing the innocent card "I'm sorry, it's just that you have such lovely features that I almost confused you with Fìana" after that, and seeing how Fili's ears turned into a bright red, all of them burst out laughing.

"Funny brother, very funny" he muttered through his clenched teeth. He took the handkerchief from his brother and tied it covering his eyes. Kili turned him three times and then, the game went on.

Zahira had to admit that it was hilarious seeing the little girls crossing under his legs to escape from him.

Nevertheless, seeing him like that made her remember how things used to be years ago. She remembered his laughter, his winks and his cheerful way of being. Somehow, and though he had changed, she was able to see those things in him again.

"Caught ya!" he said hugging her tightly and taking her by surprise. Around them, the girls started to giggle along with Kili, who seemed to be twenty instead of seventy seven or something.

Fili raised his hands to her braided hair, and slowly, started to go down her face. She felt his strong, warm hands caressing her features; first her cheekbones, and then he moved to the center to touch her lips. He delicately ran his thumb over them, their faces were so close that she could sense their breaths mixing. Her heart had started to pound fiercely as his hands went down her neck and stopped on the collarbone.

"Zahira?" he said half breathlessly. With one hand, he took off the handkerchief and stared into her eyes; looking at her as if it was for the first time.

"Gealaí?" he muttered, more to himself.

"Hi Fee" she said not sure whether she should be feeling relieved or worried now that he remembered her.

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**Taraaa! He realized!  
**

**(*) I translated it directly from my language because I couldn't find how it's said in english.**

**Hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reading it and the followers, favs and reviews ;D**

**C.A.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Hello! Here I am with the next chapter. Sorry for the delay :D  
**

**By the way, thank you so much for your support! It's great to know that the story is not a complete disaster ^^ So I hope that you enjoy reading it. **

**The cursive letter is for the memories, I know it doesn't need to be said but still :D**

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_It was shortly after sundown when Zahira heard steps approaching her. She shut her eyes and let out a brief sigh full of tiredness._

_She knew that this would happen, though she had been expecting it to take a little bit longer. Feeling the cool night breeze, she opened her eyes again and stared at full moon. _

"_Save it, I'm not going back" she said more to herself than to the person behind her._

"_Gealaí" whispered a voice she did not recognize. Confused, she turned her head to see who it was and found a man standing there, not far from where she was sitting. He seemed almost as surprised as she was._

"_Who are you?" she asked standing on her feet and searching discretely for something to arm herself. She spotted a thick branch not far from her so, pondering the pros and cons, she rushed to catch it. _

_However, the man had been faster 'cause she found herself being lifted from the ground in a strong hold. She struggled to free herself, but it was useless, he was clearly stronger than she was._

"_Calm down, okay? I am no foe, I swear" he said sounding a bit breathless after she had smacked him on the stomach with her elbow. She snorted at that, but calmed a bit seeing that her best chance to scape was catching him by surprise._

"_Excuse me if I don't believe you"_

"_Then what should I do to prove you so?" he said close to her ear making her shudder slightly._

"_Release me"_

"_If I did so, would you promise me not to run?" instead of answering instantly as she should have done, she remained quiet long enough to answer his question. "That's what I thought" _

_She was starting to feel a bit awkward and nervous, unsure of what would happen to her. Deep in her bones she didn't feel threatened by his presence but, her rational mind however was not so sure about that._

"_So" she said. _

"_So" replied him chuckling from above her head._

"_What was it that that you said before?" she asked trying to make chitchat._

"_Gealaí?" she nodded "Well it's just the name of a creature from a child's legend" he said sounding evasive._

"_A legend? Which one? 'Cause I don't remember having heard of it"_

"_It is said that, deep in the woods lives a solitary nymph that once was the lady's maid of the Moon. She possessed a warm heart and great beauty, with her long hair, pale skin and her singular eyes. The Moon, jealous of her, decided to cut her hair thinking that that would spoil her beauty, but when her plan only made the nymph even more beautiful, the Moon exiled her to our lands with a curse" his deep yet soft voice had created a captivating atmosphere. The sounds of the night went silent, eager to hear his story. She was so absorbed with him, that she hadn't even realized he had freed her._

"_And? What was the curse about?" she whispered._

"_The Moon forbade her to walk beneath the sunlight, so that nobody could ever see her beauty again. The nymph, exiled from her home, unable to see her beloved ones, forced to fight the dangers of the night and feeling an unbearable sorrow, decided to end with everything by jumping from a cliff." at that point, she couldn't help but gasp quietly, her eyes widened with dread "However, when she was about to jump a soft crying stopped her from doing so. It was a newborn child whose parents had left him unable to rise him. The nymph, took pity on him and vowed to rise and protect him and every single child in need. That's why it's believed that the nymph wander around the forests searching for anyone in need of help, 'cause otherwise and with no reason to stay with the living she will jump from the cliff." he finished eying her deeply. They remained silence for a while until she asked confused._

"_Why would you call me like her?" she knew she was no orc, but she had never been known for being a beauty._

"_You reminded me of her" he pointed her with his eyes " Short hair, skin bathed in moonlight, staring at nothing and everything at once and seating at the edge of a cliff" his voice was merely a whisper and the intensity of his gaze let her almost breathless. She raised her hand to her short curls._

"_And, why did you attack me?" he looked puzzled and opened and closed his mouth several times before he found his voice._

"_Attack? Mahal, I wasn't attacking you, I was trying to save you" he sounded a bit outraged by her question._

"_Save me? Save me from what?" now it was her time to look confused._

"_Well I, I thought you were going to jump as in the legend!" he cried looking frustrated._

_They remained quiet for a fleeting moment before they started to chuckle._

"_Anyway, I'm Fili"_

"_Zahira, and I must say that you sir, have a particular way of saving a damsel in distress" she said in a mocking tone. He shrugged with an innocent look._

"_Who did you think I was at first?"_

"_Oh, well I thought you were my father that came to take me home" she said evasively._

"_Are you a runaway?"_

"_Ha! No, I'm just hiding here, afraid to face my family"_

"_And why would that be?"_

"_Well, when this evening my sister decided to cut my hair for fun, as you can see, I ended up tearing her dress in little pieces" she sent him a wicked smile._

"_And yet you don't seem to regret doing so" he said eying her intently "Well then, I guess that I'll have to come here everyday to save you Gealaí" he said folding his arms in front of his broad chest. She felt her cheeks burn as the moonlight bathed in his handsome features._

"_Don't worry about me, I couldn't leave this world knowing that there's still people in need of help, right?" They smiled at each other and started to walk down the path behind them that leaded to her village._

"Zahira!" cried her mother waving a hand in front of her face. She had been lecturing her about the mud in her dress. And of course, Zahira had stopped listening to her rumbling bubble after the first fifteen minutes and had lost herself into her memories.

"Yes mother?"

"Have you listened any word of what I've told you?" she asked sounding exasperated.

"You want me to be honest or polite?" she answered knowing that she was being deliberately insolent.

"Hold your tongue young lady, it's your mother you're speaking to" her mother warned eying her with a stern look.

"Sorry mother. What were you saying?" the woman sighed at her helplessly daughter.

"I was saying, that your sister has offered to look after the children of the noble families that are staying here for the king's birthday"

"And that has something to do with me because...?"

"Because, I need you to take her place tonight as she's been invited to attend a dinner with his highness and nephews" she said with a clear pitch of pride in her voice.

Zahira felt her chest ran out of air at the news. She turned her head so that her mother could not see her watering eyes.

"Oh really? Wonderful, I'll gladly take her place mother, and now if you'll excuse me I need to be somewhere else" she bubbled eager to scape from the suddenly suffocating room.

She knew she had no right to feel betrayed, Fili and her weren't on a relationship. In fact, she thought bitterly, they never were.

She walked down the narrow corridors with her head down, and sweeping a solitary tear that slid down her cheek. Not really seeing where she was heading to, she stumbled on someone almost falling in the process.

"I'm sorry" she muttered and tried to walk again when she felt a pair of strong and warm hands steading her in her place. She took in a deep breath before raising her gaze to meet a rather familiar blue eyes.

"Are you all right?" he asked with concern.

"Yes, my prince I'm sorry I stumbled on you" she said using her most formal and polite tone trying to keep the distances. She tried to fake a smile of which her mother would be proud of.

"There's no need for you to call me like that Zahira, you know" he said releasing her arms and leaving a warm trace along them.

"Of course my prince, if you'll excuse I need..." she started but was cut in by the sensation of something cool running down her cheeks. She was crying, and to her utter consternation, in front of him. Mahal she needed to run, she could not let him see her like that. She pushed him aside and rushed to the exit hearing him crying her name.

It was for the best. After eight years of dealing with a broken heart, she did not think she'd be able to take another one. She had only seen him once after all this time, and even though she had foolishly believe to be ready to confront him, the recent events had proved her wrong.

She was still in love with Fili, even if that love could never be shared.

* * *

**And here it ends, thank you so much for reading it and I hope that you liked it. **

**See you! 3**

**C.A.**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hello! Here I am again.**

**Well I just hope that you like it and also, thank you so much for the reviews, favs and follows. They're as good as chocolate ;D**

**So just to leave it clear, cursive letter are thoughts and memories :3**

* * *

It was almost eleven when Fili decided that he had had enough. And from the tired and weary look in his brother's and uncle's eyes, so did they.

Probably they would rather face a pack of orcs than the growing number of marriageable ladies and their insufferable mothers. And it was because of one of those that he was now dancing with a young lady that seemed to be a bit scared of him. Or at least that was what the widened eyes like deer's and her gaze fixed to his feet made him think.

He has never been very keen on the whole "dancing" thing. It always made him feel like fish out of the water. He could only think of once, many years ago, that he actually had a great time dancing.

_The village where him, his brother and mother were staying, had a traditional party to celebrate the end of the winter. All the women had to dress up with warm colored dresses, representing the summer and spring, while the men had to wear cold colored clothes for the other two seasons. Then, they would make a circle around the women and when the music began all of them, men and women, would start to dance in a way that was more similar to a fight than a dance._

_He remembered being in front of Zahira, whom he had just met a few days before, eying him with an intense and wild look and clearly not intimidated at all of him. As it was his first time, he was not very sure of what he was supposed to do, so he sent a quick look to the other couple of dancers to get an idea._

_Every time the woman attempted to get out of the circle, the man had to avoid it. So when Zahira made her first move, he found it rather easy to block but then, a crafty sparkle in her eyes told him that she had tricked him. She quickly swung around on her feet and headed to the other side of him without losing the rhythm._

_Fortunately for him, his arms were long enough to grab her waist and spun her around him placing her on her previous spot. She fixed him with a challenging yet amused glare that cheered him up. They spent a while like that, her trying to trick him and him avoiding it in the last seconds, until one final try in which she began to move her hips slightly following the beat of the drums and enchanting him. The scene was so unreal and seductive that he felt his throat dry and his hands aching to touch her. She slowly began to come near him, not leaving his eyes, and then she threw her silken scarf over his head and let it go down behind his body. By the time he saw the mischievous grin on her face, it was too late. She pulled the scarf with all her might making him fall on the floor with a surprised face. She jumped over him and bowed mockingly with the rest of the village behind her laughing cheerfully. He soon joined them as he cleaned the dust from his, not so clean now, clothes..._

"My prince, the music is over" said a very soft and very gentle voice drawing him back from his memories. He regained his composure quickly enough to make a stiff bow and head to the balcony hoping to get some fresh air.

Once he was there he heard someone approaching him, and he prayed for it not to be another crazy mother or lady.

"Night brother" said the familiar voice of Kili behind him. He let out a relieved sigh at that and nodded to him acknowledging his presence.

"How is it that you're not dancing with some lovely young lady, brother?" he asked in a mocking affected tone. Kili just shrugged before placing beside him with his body bended over the railing.

"Being the second in line to the throne does not make you appealing enough for the mothers. For what I'm extremely grateful"

"I'm willing to swap places, you know"

"Yeah, you and uncle Thorin" he said amused "I think that he did not consider the drawbacks of killing Smaug and rebuilding Erebor"

"He may have thought it twice if he had known all of this would happen" said Fili feeling a bit bitter but not sure why.

"Whoa, what's wrong brother? Did any mother try to assault you in this fine evening? 'Cause I know someone that yes" he said trying to make him laugh and eying to a very uncomfortable Thorin.

"Thorin?" Kili nodded "No way!" he said covering his mouth with his hands holding back a loud laughter.

"I swear, he was talking with a group of men when a woman passed behind him and grasped his butt, Mahal it was hilarious seeing his face turning red!" he ended up laughing so hard that did not realized of the presence behind him.

"I'm glad that you're having such a great time Kili, but why don't you go to bed? I've heard that Dwalin wants you to train _double_ tomorrow" said Thorin with a stern voice that made Kili's face go pale. The poor guy just nodded quickly before leaving the balcony, almost running. "In fact, I think that both of you need some rest" added him more gently this time as he eyed him. He said good night to his uncle and went to his chambers not very sure that he would be able to sleep much.

* * *

The next morning, Zahira went to meet Bofur for their "clothes deal". The night before, she had had a great time looking after the children of the noble families. Once she got over her sudden depression, of course.

And so, today she was getting a brand new amount of clothes with the blessings of her mother. She looked around to see where could the dwarf be and when she was about to give up, she spotted him sitting on a bench playing what seemed a flute. The melody was full of happiness and joy, the kind of music that people played on celebrations.

She rushed to get to him but stopped suddenly when she saw a black haired dwarf that was too familiar. When they saw her, they both stood up and waved at her. She tried to calm herself down by breathing in and out but it didn't work at all.

"It's great to see you again lass" said Bofur smiling at her. When he realized the quick looks she was sending to Kili reminded him something "I have invited him because I thought you might appreciate a second opinion" he said satisfied with his answer. Zahira, on the contrary, was trying not to strangle the dwarf and becoming red in the process.

"Zahira! Nice to see you again" said Kili and hugged her taking her by surprise. It had been almost eight years since the last time he did that. It felt a bit weird, but nice at the same time "Oh and my brother was not able to come because uncle Thorin is taking him to Laketown for a couple of days" explained him with an apologetic look. Inwardly, Zahira felt both relieved and disappointed to hear those news.

"It's okay Kili, either way I don't think that he would have enjoyed this very much"

And with that, the three of them headed to the town of Dale to find her confidence among clothes.

"I almost forget it" said Kili after a while "Why didn't you come to the dinner yesterday?" he looked really puzzled. And most certainly so did her.

"What do you mean? I was not invited" she said feeling a familiar twinge in her stomach at that memory.

"What?! Of course you were invited, we told it to your sister. Didn't she tell you?" Zahira felt her hands clenching on fists and her breathing accelerating as realization filled her head. Tahira. Of course she hadn't told her anything, the little...rat. She had always known that she was not a saint, but now she had made her mad and officially declared her war. And she never backs down.

"_Get ready little sister, 'cause things are going to change very soon"_

* * *

**And here it ends! Thank you so much for reading, and if you found any mistakes or just if you liked it or not let me know it with a beautiful review :D**

**Hope you liked it**

**C.A.**


	7. Chapter 6

**Hi! I'm back! I'm sorry for not having post sooner, but I just had many things going on. **

**Well, here is the new chapter, (Yay!) and I really hope that you all like it. Also, thanks for all the followers, favs and reviews ;D And for taking the time to read it :)  
**

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" asked an uncertain Kili eying the jam jar he was carrying.

"I most certainly am" replied Zahira with her arms crossed "You're not backing down, are you?" she said frowning at him. He shook his head and sighed in silent surrender before carrying on walking through the empty corridors.

Zahira followed him unable to suppress a devilish smile at the thought of what was coming. They had come back from the village without buying any clothes. She hadn't been in the mood of getting herself in some fancy dress.

It was strange for her though, after almost eight years, hanging out with Kili as she used to. However, that feeling lasted very little since the dwarf was really easygoing and always in high spirits. The three of them had walked among the crowded place stopping at almost every stall they put an eye on. Saying that they spent five or six hours around there, it would not be much of an exaggeration.

But now, it was just Kili and her, sneaking through the deserted corridors with a jam and a honey jar. She had somehow managed to coax Kili to help her with a little revenge on her _dearest sister_.

Slowly, they got into her room shutting the door behind them. Whether it was the tiredness or the thrill, she was feeling a bit breathlessly.

"Okay, give me the jars, quick!" she urged him in whispers. He did as she said and headed to check the corridor.

Zahira surveyed the room searching for what she had come for. There, in a corner were the newest boots her sister had bought just a few days ago. She couldn't hide any longer the devilish smile that was spreading across her face.

Oh, she was so gonna enjoy this.

She grabbed the boots and opening the jars, she let the honey and the jam fill them. She heard the soft giggles that came from Kili behind her and tried to shush him but ended up laughing along with him. Zahira knew that she was being childish and immature, but Tahira had started first.

Once she had finished with the boots, she turned ready to leave before her sister came back from the market. But then, her eyes spotted a small shiny object half hidden among some other jewels. Slowly, feeling her heart pounding faster inside her chest, she approached the wooden jeweler and with trembling fingers grabbed the fine silver necklace. She caressed the intricate design feeling her eyes watering as some old memories filled her mind.

* * *

"_It had almost been a year since Fili and Zahira first met and now, there she was waiting for him in the same place where everything had started. _

_Early in that morning, Zahira was told by a child that Fili wanted to meet her __at__ their secret place at sunset. Once she got there, she waited patiently until a couple of warm and big hands grabbed her by the waist and lifted her. __She let out a surprised scream and__ laughed __with joy, sp__i__n__ning__ around till falling on the grass._

_Fili, placed himself on top of her with his arms at both sides of her head and, without taking his eyes off of her said:_

"_Hello my little Gealaí" he whispered close to her neck. He caressed her short curls absently "I've missed you" she snorted at his words but blushed a bit due to his closeness. They stayed like that for a while until Zahira sit up on the grass._

"_Fee, what was it that you wanted?"_

"_Actually, there's something I wanted to give you" he put his hand into his pocket and removed something shiny from it. It was a silver necklace with a beautiful and intricate design, quite similar to the one he usually wore at the end of his braids._

"_Is this...?" she asked not sure of what to think._

"_Yes"_

"_And you're sure?" he nodded smiling at her. He put the necklace around her neck leaving his hands on it. She returned him the smile, wider if possible and hugged him tightly._

"_Can I take that as a yes?" this time it was her turn to nod with her eyes close to tears._

"_Yes! Yes, I'll marry you!"_

_He let out a relieved sigh and kissed her on her lips. At first, it was soft and gentle but it slowly turned into a much urgent and passionate one. She couldn't suppress the quiet moans that came out of her throat. _

"_I love it when you do that" he said breaking the kiss before leaving another one on the corner of her mouth "It drives me crazy"_

_Zahira looked into his eyes, searching for any kind of doubt._

"_So, you're really sure about this?"_

"_Absolutely" he replied without hesitation._

_The following morning, she woke up with a bright smile that didn't last long after her mother told her that both, Fili and Kili had left the village for good."_

* * *

"Earth to Zahira!" she heard Kili calling her as he waved a hand in front of her face. She blinked several times, confused by the vivid memories.

"Right sorry, let's get out of here" and with that, they left the room.

Couple of hours later, she was sitting on a bench, staring at the silver necklace when she heard a quite familiar scream.

"Zahira!" yelled her sister with her usually annoying high pitch at the same time as she approached her. Zahira hid the necklace behind her and waited for Tahira to get closer.

"Oh, evening sister" she greeted her innocently. She made as if she was sniffing something "You changed your perfume? Is it honey? Jam perhaps?"

"How dared you make this to me!" she cried outraged. Zahira just smiled at her as if they were talking about the weather.

"I don't know what you're talking about" her sister eyed her with a furious look before turning to leave.

"Just remember that you started" she said without even look at her.

"Trust me sis, I will" she whispered with an evil smile.

* * *

During the next two days, both sisters played all kinds of pranks to each other. First, Tahira put her underwear as flags in the main entrance of the hall. She had to admit, that her sister was getting better when came to make pranks.

Then it was her turn , so she rubbed all of her sister's dresses with nettles, which made her scratch her arms and face so much that she ended up looking like a tomato for at least a couple of hours. After that, Tahira put oil on her door, so when she got in she slipped to the floor in a rather unladylike way. Not even Kili dared to get in between the two of them. Their parents on the other hand, were used to that kind of behavior so they just waited until their daughters had finished their little war.

It was the night of the second day of the "prank war" when Zahira made the ultimate move. She went to the bathrooms and waited for her sister to come as every night for her late night bath. Hidden among the shadows, she picked up her sister's shampoo and changed it for the other one she had specially made for her.

The next morning, she woke up with her sister's hands around her neck. Tahira was yelling so hard that she could've scared to death a whole pack of orcs.

"You! Stupid, abnormal bitch! What have you done to my hair?!" Zahira pushed her away to free her neck from her strong hands.

She started to run around the room with Tahira right behind her sending loud curses. As a result of all that noise, their parents got into the room only to find both of them yelling at each other.

"For Durin's sake! What the hell is going on here?!" cried Braìn as he rushed to get in between the to girls who now were trying to strangle each other.

"Oh my, Tahira what has happened to your hair?!" said Gilda with her hands covering her mouth in shock. In front of them was Tahira, standing there with a crazed face and an even much more crazed blue hair. All of that thanks to the dye she had put in her sister's shampoo.

"Ask your daughter!" replied her sister staring at Zahira who just shrugged carelessly.

"I thought you said that you wanted to be special, right?" she said without even bothering to hide the sarcasm in her voice "Well, wish granted, you're welcome" she faked a bow before freeing herself from her father's grip.

"You are just a lunatic bitch! No wonder why Fili-" she said in a devious tone but stopped abruptly gazing her. Stopping right at the door frame, Zahira took in a deep breath feeling her anger rising.

"Come on, say it. Don't hold it" she urged her in husky voice.

"There's no wonder why he left you"

"What?!" said Gilda in a high pitch.

"Better now that you said it?" said Zahira with a break in her voice. After that, no one dared to say anything. Both parents stared at their daughters helplessly, wondering how things had gone that far.

"Zahira, sweetheart..." started her father unsure.

"Am, I'm going out for a walk, okay?" said her at the same time. And with nothing left to say, she exited the room with an ache in her heart.

"Tahira, what did you mean when you said that prince Fili left her?" said Gilda torn between curiosity and concern.

"Don't honey" said Braìn shaking his head and still with his sight fixed to where his daughter had gone.

"But..."

"Gilda, I said drop it" he warned, this time with a more serious tone making his wife shut her mouth.

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**Okay so this was it. Thanks for reading, and I hope that you liked it and that you'll let me know if so or if not ;D  
**

**As always, if you found any mistake please tell me so that I can fix it.**

**Thanks**

**C.A.**


	8. Chapter 7

**Hi!**

**Here I come with the longest chapter I have ever written until know. At least in english.**

**Well I hope that you enjoy reading it. And as always, thank you so much for all of your follows, favs and reviews. You're great! :D**

* * *

She didn't know how much time she had been walking. Not sure of where and not caring about it. She just knew that she needed to put as much distance between her and her sister, parents and basically anyone as possible.

She had spent the whole day walking like a lost soul around the woods of the mountain. However, not even once she let the tears fall. And as much as it pained her, she would not give her sister that satisfaction.

Zahira spotted a flat stone not far from the path she was following, so she decided to rest for a little while. Only when she was sit she realized how exhausted she was, which was quite normal after spending Durin knows how many hours walking without stopping.

And even though it was growing darker and the path was harder to see, she could bring herself to stand up and get back. She wouldn't be able to look at her sister without remembering all those memories she had worked so hard to suppress.

"Bother, it's good to see you again" said Kili right after Fili dismounted from his pony.

"It's been only two days" replied him cheerfully.

"Maybe, but it's been two rather interesting days" said Kili as he moved up and down his brows making Fili laugh out loud.

"Is that so?" said Fili not really paying much attention to him as he undid the supplies from the animal's back.

"Kili, go help Balin with the ponies" commanded Thorin from behind him sounding a bit tired. The trip had been quite exhausting, and after being the whole day ridding he was more than ready to go to his chambers and get some sleep.

Once Fili was left alone, he found himself thinking about Zahira. How she had spent these two days; if she had thought about him at least once...

"_Don't go there, it'll do you no good" _he told himself before focusing his attention on gathering the supplies. Ten minutes later, Kili returned and both brothers went outside the stables to talk and catch up.

They talked about everything: their training sessions, Fili's trip to Laketown and the ambush they suffered from a stray pack of orcs.

That made Kili tense him jaw, cursing himself for not going with them. The dark haired dwarf listened to every detail, seated on the edge of the bench barely holding himself to it.

It happened the same day they left the mountain, when the four of then were almost asleep a pack of around ten orcs attacked them covered by the dusk. The fight was fast, fierce and bloody as no orc kept his head on their shoulders.

Balin was the one that suffered more injuries but nothing that the master of Laketown couldn't take care of. Fili told his brother everything about the man Bard who now was the new master of Laketown. Kili felt happy for the man and his family as he was aware of how much they had been through. Also, he still thought that he owed the man one for giving him shelter while he was seriously wounded.

"So, when do you plan to ask me what you really want to know?" blurted out Kili once he finished his story of how he had managed to eat five three whole chickens on a row.

Beside him Fili went stiff, clenching his hands in fists and not daring to look directly to his brother's eyes. He took in a deep breath, taking his time to think of how he'd ask everything that was in his mind. And he was about to do so, but his brother started to talk before he could even ask anything.

"She's been fine. Quite busy actually" taking note of his elder brother's confused look, he explained himself "She's been...bonding with her sister" said Kili unsure making the other dwarf snort with disbelief.

"Bonding? She barely stands being in the same room with her" he said remembering one time, during a celebration when the two of them ended up throwing food to each other because of same stupid thing Tahira said. However and despite all of that he knew how much she loved her sister, even if she didn't say it out loud.

"Sort of I guess, they started this "prank war"and you know, things got a bit wild. I gotta tell you, I'm never ever going on a war against any of those two" Kili shuddered at the simple thought of it "I mean, have you seen Tahira's hair?! It's freaking blue!"

After hearing that, Fili started to feel distress as he knew what that meant. Zahira told him that Tahira's hair was what her sister most valuated. She would've never messed with her hair unless Tahira had made her really angry.

He stood up, feeling the urge of seeing her and making sure that she was okay, rising inside him. He excused himself with his brother and went to look for her whereabout.

First, he tried in the main hall, then in the library as he was well aware of her love for books, then the gardens and even the blacksmith's but, she was nowhere to be found. He went to the kitchens hoping to find her there but finding Bofur and Bombur instead.

"Hey lad! How it's been going?" said the dwarf with his usual cheerfulness. Next to him, Bombur smiled at him with his mouth full of food.

"Hi, you see I was wondering if any of you have seen Zahira today?" he asked eying each of them hopeful of getting an affirmative answer.

"No man, sorry" said Bofur.

"Actually I did" said Bombur once he swallowed. Both, Fili and Bofur stared at him with different levels of eagerness.

"And..." urged Fili when he didn't continue.

"Well she was heading to the woods, but that was in the morning so she must be in her chambers by now" just as he finished the sentence Fili was already heading to the exit waving a hand thanking him.

The blond dwarf walked along the corridors, in a hasty pace. His mind was blank, unable to think of what he was going to say to her. Actually, he just didn't care, all he knew was that he needed to see her.

Once he got there, he stood in front of the door hesitating before he knocked on it firmly. He held back a rather strong curse when Zahira's mother opened the door with watering eyes.

"You!" said her all of a sudden with trembling voice. She seemed quite angry for some reason Fili couldn't get "This is your fault! Why did you have to leave her?" she sounded so miserable that left him speechless. Behind her her husband went to wrap her with his arms, trying to give some comfort.

"What? What do you mean?" Fili asked once the full meaning of the words sank in his head.

"Forgive her my prince, she didn't mean to be rude it's just that she's quite anxious for our daughter" rushed to say the husband trying to excuse her. However, behind his polite tone, Fili saw the uneasiness of his sight which confused him even more.

Without saying anything, he went to his own chambers trying to put all the pieces together so that it would make any sense. He didn't know why Zahira's mother had said that he left her when it was the other way around. He still had the letter that proved it.

* * *

"_Fili was getting back after asking Zahira to marry him, at which she had she yes making him the happiest man on earth._

_He couldn't wait to tell the news to his brother and his mother. In fact, he wanted to shout it out loud so that everyone could know. It had taken him all of his willpower to let her go out of his arms. He still felt her warmth, his mouth __itched for hers as well as his hands._

_Once he finally got home, he opened the door with a huge smile that lasted very little __as__ his eyes spotted who was waiting inside._

_It was his uncle and an old dwarf that looked quite familiar to him. Normally, he'd be happy to have his uncle with them but this time, happy wasn't even close to what he was feeling. Everyone in the room remained silent until __Thorin__ stood up to greet him in a hug._

"_Fili, you've grown up a lot since the last time I saw you" Thorin said after breaking the hug and taking a good look at him. Fili smiled a little, but he didn't let that calm fool him._

"_What's the matter uncle?" he muttered not sure at all that the answer would make him very happy._

"_Straight to the point, laddie" said the old dwarf that had been silent "I'm Balin by the way" added him holding his hand out._

"_Fili, nice to meet you at last. Thorin has told us quite a lot of things about you" replied Fili __and __shaking his hand._

"_Not all good I hope" said Balin with an amused smile. _

"_You'll have plenty of time to know each other, but now there's something more important to discuss" said Thorin leading Fili to the table where he took a seat between his brother and mother. Beside him, Kili looked as excited as if it was his birthday. On the contrary, his mother seemed a bit too pale._

"_I wanted to ask you to come with me to Erebor" said Thorin __bluntly. That took Fili off guard._

"_Are you serious?" when his uncle nodded solemnly, he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by everything. This morning he was asking the girl he loved to marry him, and now his uncle asked him to go on a suicide mission for which both, him and his brother had been dreaming about __ever since they were little__._

_He asked Thorin __for __a __bit of time__ to think about it, at which he agreed but reminded him that he needed the answer by the end of the day._

_Once Thorin and Balin left the house, Kili turned to meet his gaze eager._

"_What is it that you have to think about? This is what we've been waiting for our whole life"_

"_Leave your brother alone, __dear.__H__e needs to make that decision on his own" reproached his mother to her youngest son. She has seen the concern__ed__ look in his son's eyes. _

_When Kili went outside, Fili tossed his hair nervously and without even noticing until his mother took his hands with hers. _

"_Talk to me dear, what worries you?"__her tone, ever so gentle made him calm down a little._

"_I'm engaged mother" he said once he gathered the strength enough to make t__he__ words come out of his mouth. His mother remained silent for __a __fleeting moment, understanding the situation of his son._

"_Zahira?" he nodded unable to hide a smile. __His mother sent him a warm and gentle smile of her own to let him know how happy she was about it__ "You love her then?" she said more as a statement than a real question._

"_Of course I do" replied him confused by his mother's words._

"_And her, does she love you as well?" he nodded again unsure of where she was going to with all those questions._

"_Then if she really loves you, she'll wait for you" he rose his head to look at her surprised._

"_But what if she doesn't?" he asked sounding a bit lost._

"_Well, then I guess that you'll have to weight what your priorities are" said her shrugging in her seat._

"_But what if I choose wrong? What if I leave and I never see her again?"_

"_Dear, live is full of hard decisions but, those decisions are the ones that define us. __Besides, you never know what the future will bring__" he remained quiet thinking about what she'd said but, decided that he needed some air to think clearly as he knew that the trip would change his life, either for good or for bad._

_He spent the whole afternoon weighting the pros and cons of going on that journey. First, it was most certainly a suicide mission, it would ke__ep him away from Zahira and he would be leaving his mother alone. But then, he could not leave his brother go by himself. Mother would never allow him to go if he didn't go along with him. And he could not do that to him, he would never forgive himself._

_For Durin's sake! Why was it so difficult? A year ago he wouldn't have even think twice before saying yes to his uncle but now, now it was completely different._

_By the end of the day, he had made up his mind. He would go to that journey with his brother, but he would come back for her as soon as he could. __No matter what._

_Feeling his heart aching, he wrote a letter explaining everything and asking her to wait for him. He also asked her to go and see him before they__'d__ set off . He needed to see her again no mattering her answer._

_He prayed to anyone that wanted to listen for being able to come back to her. Both, Kili and him gathered all their supplies and said goodbye to their mother who gave an approving nod to Fili agreeing with his decision._

_As they would depart at down, he went in the middle of the night to Zahira's house to leave the letter, which he slipped under the door._

_Once the decision was made and he couldn't go back, he went home hoping to get some sleep before the big day._

_The next morning, he was waiting for Zahira to come but, instead of her it was her sister who showed up to tell him that she was not going to come, and that she didn't want to see him ever again._

_When the words sank into his head, he felt dizzy for a moment as his worst nightmares had come true. However, and even though he __didn't__ really want to, he rushed to where his uncle and brother were waiting for him not feeling anything at all. He was numb. He didn't care that the mission was a suicide anymore, he was ready to die."_

* * *

Fili shook his head trying to get rid of those memories. Now was not the time for regret, Zahira was missing and he would never forgive himself losing her again.

And so, he grabbed his sword, mount on his pony and went to find her.

His Gealaí.

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**And this was it! I really hope that you all liked it and if so or not let me know ;D If you found any mistake please tell them to me so that I can fix it. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**C.A.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Hello! **

**I'm back! Haha, sorry for the delay but it's been crazy lately and I just couldn't bring myself to write any of this. So I thought it'd be better to wait and write when I had something that wasn't just crap. **

**So, I really hope that you like it and thank you so much for the support and the reviews! And also, thanks for taking the time to read this, it means a lot :D**

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"_I am so screwed" _thought Zahira as her gaze fell upon the hideous creatures in front of her.

She had been wailing about how her life couldn't get any worse when suddenly, something big and heavy hit her in the nape hard enough to make her faint.

By the time she regained consciousness, she was no longer alongside the path that led to the mountain. And certainly, not alone anymore.

Dimly lit by a small fire, a group of four orcs sat around it, eating fiercely as if that was their last meal. They let out disgusting grunts that made Zahira want to look away but, she couldn't. At least not if she wanted to scape from them.

She let her eyes slid down to the ground searching for any kind of stone, close and sharp enough to help her cut the strings that chained her to the tree. She didn't know how she kept herself calmed enough to do so, maybe the adrenaline didn't let her mind process the fact that she was being held prisoner by a damn pack of orcs that might cook her for dessert!

She almost cried with relief when her eyes spotted a stone that seemed perfect. Stretching all her body to the fullest to reach it, she tapped the stone with her feet trying to draw it nearer. Only a few inches closer and she would've been able to grab it, or at least hide it but, a black hand coming out of nowhere caught it before she could do anything.

"Nice try" said a deep stormy voice belonging to the fifth orc that apparently, had been off. She stared at the creature, her eyes widening with fear and her breathing rising as her eyes took notice of the deformed features of his face and body. He sent her a cruel smile that made her shudder and cringe against the tree.

One of the others yelled something in a language that she didn't understand but caused the orc to shift his attention to them. He let out a grunt from the back of his throat before heading towards them.

Time passed and Zahira was becoming more and more anxious. The strings were cutting her wrists and the chill of the night made her feel a sharp pain in the back of her head where they had hit her earlier.

The sounds of the night that once calmed her, now reminded her how vulnerable, defenseless she was, how soon her life could end.

Not far from where she was, her eyes caught sight of a dark figure covered with a long cloak heading towards the orcs. She couldn't tell who it might be, but certainly not a man nor orc. It wasn't tall enough. The stranger talked with the orcs who seemed not very happy to see him. Zahira tilted her head trying to hear what they could be saying when suddenly, all of them stared at her. Slowly, she saw them coming to where she was, which made her press herself against the tree wanting to put as much distance between them and her as possible. The stranger, hidden under the cloak stopped before her and said nothing for a few moments.

"What's the meaning of this?" the voice belonged to a woman, who by the way, sounded pretty angry. When none of the orcs replied, she turned to face them "Why did you bring me this girl? I asked for the line of Durin! Not for a damned girl!" the orcs moved back a few steps at her anger.

The one that seemed in charge stepped closer and looked down at the woman.

"She was where you sent us, she was carrying the symbol of Durin and you did not specified whether it had to be a man or a woman" hissed the orc who seemed to be as furious as the woman.

"The symbol? How is that even possible?" whispered the woman more to herself than to the orcs. She frowned and started to wander around mumbling to herself.

Suddenly, something inside Zahira's head lit making her realize something. She knew that voice. She had heard it before.

"You" she let out in a surprised whisper. Both women stared mutely at each other for a fleeting moment. The air around them was so tense that no one dared to make a sound.

"Kill her" commanded the woman before turning towards the fire. She grabbed a black sword and gave it to one of the orcs "Now!"

"What?! No!" cried Zahira feeling her eyes widening totally terrified. She didn't want to die. Not there, alone and without even a chance to defend herself.

The orc stepped closer, holding tight his sword and barking commands to his partners. Crying wildly and squirming in her place she tried to avoid the orcs kicking everything that went near her. One of them freed her from the strings only to grab her by the neck and pull her towards the fire. He made her kneel and held her as another approached them carrying the sword. Slowly, she saw him getting closer, his cruel smile fixed in his deformed features.

She felt the cold steel touch her neck, taking away any kind of hope and leaving her numb.

Empty.

Closing her eyes, she awaited for her death to come. Thousands of thoughts hovering inside her head. She heard a cutting noise and assumed that it was the sword but when nothing happened, she opened her eyes confused.

Beside her laid the two orcs with a blade stabbed in each one's head. She rolled away and started to run as fast as she could without looking back. Behind her, she could still hear the sounds of the fight. The branches hit and cut her face and arms.

She didn't know how much time she had been running but, when her lungs couldn't take anymore she plumped down onto the ground, against a trunk. Seated now, she heard the pounding of her heart so loud that she thought she might be heard by the entire forest.

"_Okay, Zahi calm down, breath in and out..." _she told herself still feeling the adrenaline rushing through her veins _"Oh no, what now?"_ thought her as she heard steps approaching.

She grabbed a particularly thick branch and waited hidden by the tree to take down whoever was coming.

Growling fiercely, she attacked with all the might she had. And she was about to keep doing it when a couple of hands grabbed hers and stopped her.

"Let me go!" she cried hysterically.

"Zahira! Zahira it's me! It's Fili" hissed hurriedly the dwarf. That made her stop her fight and look at him as if she didn't recognize him at first.

"Fils?" she whispered breathlessly. He nodded slowly and reached for the branch she was still holding over her head.

He stared into her watery eyes for a fleeting moment, taking notice of her messed up hair, the scratches in her pale skin and the widened eyes that now looked at him in shock. Before he realised what he was doing, he wrapped his arms around her trembling body, desperate to comfort her.

"Zahì, I thought I had lost you forever" he said with a break in his voice. She buried her face into his neck, trying to muffle her sobbing still afraid that someone could hear them. She didn't know how much time they stayed like that. Just holding each other so that none of them would crumble.

Suddenly, a thought struck her making her break their embrace.

"Fili, the orcs, they-" she started, fearful of a new attack.

"Shh, don't worry I took care of them. They'll never hurt you again" he said holding her hands and making her rise along with him "Come, we need to get out of here. It's not safe" and so, he lead them both through the dark forest.

And it was then, as they run to save their lives when she realized that she would never stop loving him.

Not even if it was unsided.

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**Bueno, here it was. The end is near... haha na just kidding there still a few chapters.  
**

**I hope that you all liked it and if you saw any mistake, please tell me so that I can fix it. Thanks so much for reading.**

**Bye**

**C.A.**


	10. Chapter 9

**Hello! Taraaa! Here's my new longest chapter ever. I know that it might sounds stupid but I'm excited about it.**

**BorysBorys & Fizzydrop 2000: I can't confirm or deny that, you'll have to keep reading! ;D**

**Thank you for reading and the support, I really hope that you all like it. **

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"We're lost" said Zahira in a tired voice to Fili, who was just a couple of steps ahead.

"No we're not" replied him stubbornly.

"Oh really? Then what's this?" she said arching an eyebrow and pointing the line that they had made the first time that they had passed that way. Fili stared at the mark blushing up to his ears.

"Okay, maybe we are lost" he sat on a rock and took in a deep breath. Zahira hid a small smile at the sight. He looked like a kid with his pursed lips and the frown in his face.

They remained in silence until she heard something.

"Hey, did you hear that?"

"What?" he raised ready to put on a fight.

"Water. There must be a river nearby" she said as she followed the sound. Fili, behind her had grabbed his sword and was checking their surroundings.

Zahira let out a surprised gasp when her eyes caught sight of the picture before her. It was a small waterfall, with crystal clear water. It was just stunning.

"You were right. It's amazing, almost..."

"Magical" she finished for him. He looked around once more before he returned his sword to its sheath.

"I think that we should spend the night here, and then in the morning we could follow the river to the village" he said gazing the sky. Soon it'd get dark, and there was no way he was going to walk around these woods. At least not if there was a chance that she might get hurt.

"So..." she said after an uncomfortable silence fell upon them. Durin knew how much she hated tense silences.

Fili couldn't suppress an amused smile as he saw her hitting some small rocks. She used to do that whenever she was nervous or uncomfortable. He eyed her a little longer, waiting for the next sing that would reveal her nervousness. And she didn't let him down; there she was, biting her lower lip.

It was funny how something so simple could mesmerize him to the point that nothing else mattered. Just her and her luscious lips... "_Shit"_ he had been staring. He coughed a bit trying to get rid of the knot that had formed in his throat.

"I think I should go and fetch some wood for the night" he didn't even wait to hear her answer, afraid that she might see the longing look he had been wearing.

And so, when Zahira was left alone there, she let out the air she didn't know she had been holding. It was so stupid. She was being stupid. For Durin's sake, they were both adults and they wouldn't even look at each other. She had to do something about it. And even though she might not like the answer, she had to ask him about that day. She wanted, no, she needed to know why he left her like that.

She nodded to herself and began to wander around to look for some food. She didn't want to be a burden.

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The sky had turned into a mixture of warm colors when Fili returned carrying several branches and dry leaves. By that time, she had managed to get some berries and mushrooms. She knew that it wasn't much but, that was all she could get without even a blade to hunt a mere rabbit.

He acknowledged her with a simple nod before he bended down to start the fire. And she was about to tell him a couple of things about manners when she noticed his pained look and clenched teeth.

"Fili, what's wrong? What happens?" she asked anxiously. She knelt before him and swallowed hard when she caught sight of his hand. It was dyed in red.

"It's nothing, I'm fine" he said covering his side with the hand.

"The hell you're fine! Let me see it" she ordered sending him a glare. He sighed in surrender and moved his hand so that she could see it.

To be honest, she couldn't really "see" anything at all aside from the dry blood. So she grabbed his stuff and made him stand up.

"Take off your clothes" she blurted out.

"W-What?!" he said taken aback "I-I don't think it's really a good time-" he bubbled unable to meet her eyes.

"Oh come on! Seriously? Don't be such dirty-minded and take off that!" she said crossing her arms over her chest. Blushed to his ears, he took off his shirt and fixed his gaze onto the ground. Which was a good thing since she was now staring at his chest.

Sweet Durin, he was hot. He had this wide chest with strong arms specially created to cuddle and embrace a girl. She could use him as bed every night for the rest of her life...

She blinked several times when a cough brought her back from her fantasy. _"Right, focus Zahira. Wound. Hurt. Fix him" _and so, she looked for the wound, hoping that it wasn't already infected. She let out a relieved sigh when she confirmed that it wasn't.

"Well?" he asked when she didn't say a thing.

"It's a clean cut. Superficial. You won't even need stitches" he closed his eyes and smiled more relaxed.

"See? I told you, just a scratch" he went to fetch his clothes when she held his arm gently.

"It may be a scratch, but I need to put something on it so that it won't get infected" he thought about her words and agreed "And besides, you won't let it heal if you're bending and moving the whole time so, you will lay in there and I'll set the fire" she added with a challenging look knowing that he wouldn't be pleased. And he was about to protest when she rose her hand and shushed him. He narrowed his eyes unable to hide a sided smile, and shrugged before turning to do what she had said.

Zahira smiled proudly and let her gaze slid down from his shoulders to his butt. She wanted a bite of him, just a little one would be enough.

She sighed longingly before focusing her attention on everything she had to do. "_Okay, let's get to work"_

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"Are you sure you don't want my help?" said amused Fili for the fourth time. Before him, Zahira had been trying to set the fire but with no succeed.

"No" replied her stubbornly. She had put a mixture of herbs on his wound and bandaged it with part of her dress. So now, he needed to rest, which meant that she had to set the damn fire by herself. If only it would lit...

"Argh!" she tossed the stones she had been using away and made an angry pout that caused Fili to burst out in laughter.

"I told you I could do it for you" he said with his soft, deep voice sending shivers down her spine.

"It's not that, it's just that I thought that it'd be better to not lit a sign of our position. Besides, it's not that could" she said sounding more childish and cute than ever.

"Of course" he said mockingly. When she couldn't stand his smug smile, she stood up and went to check on his wound.

"It's healing pretty fast" she muted more to fill the silence than anything. When her fingers touched his skin she saw his muscles tensing a little.

"Sorry, did I hurt you?" she said hurriedly and moving her hand away. He grabbed it and placed it on the bandage.

"Relax, you did nothing of the sort" he whispered as he made soft circles on the back of her hand. The moment seemed so unreal with the moonlight reflected on the depths of his eyes. Right there, alone and far from the rest of the world, the idea of being with him seemed totally possible. Except that it wasn't, at least not until they sorted out their past.

And with that thought in mind, she moved her hand way once again from the warmth of his body. He looked at her confused and she turned away clearing her throat.

"I think I'll take a quick bath, I must smell like one of those orcs" she bubbled and hurried to hide behind a bush near to the shore of the waterfall. With trembling hands, she took off her clothes and stuck out her head.

"Close your eyes!"

"Okay, okay. I'm not looking" he said turning on his back. He waited to hear the splash of water to turn and seek for her. At first, he felt a bit guilty but soon dismissed the feeling telling himself that it was just for her own good.

He felt his lungs run out of air when she came out of the water. It hid her lower body right up to were her back ended. The moonlight bathed her pale skin making her look like one of those exotic creatures that would sing to sailors, to attract them to their death. Her black, long hair which covered part of her back, made an almost unreal contrast with her skin. And the curves of her rounded hips were one of the sweetest distractions he had ever seen.

The entire forest could be burning and still, he wouldn't take his eyes off of her. He didn't even dared to blink in case she would disappear.

He saw her swim in the water with the waterfall behind her. It was almost like a spell. One that was broken when he moved slightly forward to get a better look of her, and ended up flinching in pain as he had laid over his wounded side. He cursed under his breath and looked down fleetingly. By the time he returned his gaze towards the water, she was gone.

"Zahira?" he yelled after a couple of seconds. When nobody answered, he called her again, this time in a more distressed voice. _"__No,__ no, __please no__" _ he thought as he stood up not paying attention to the pain.

She knew how to swim, didn't she? She wouldn't be so reckless to get into the water without knowing how, right?

He walked as fast as he could and searched the surface of the water, hoping to find any sing that would tell him where she was. And when he saw nothing, he took of his boots and dived into the water.

The water was freezing at first but he didn't care. All he could think about was finding her. He couldn't loose her again, not when he had just got her back.

He called for her once again, not really convinced that it'd work but without any better idea. To his utter relief, he heard her voice but, he couldn't tell from where it came from.

"Over here! Behind the waterfall!" she yelled as loud as she could so that he'd hear her despite the water. He swam to the waterfall and dived into the water to cross it from beneath it.

"What are you doing here? Did anything happen?" she asked confused once he came out to the surface. He was still trying to catch his breath so, when he spoke, his voice came out more harshly than he had intended.

"What were you thinking?" he admonished her. Surprised, she opened and closed her mouth unsure of what to say "Actually, were you even thinking at all?!" he pressed, getting a bit closer to her.

"What? What do you mean?" she asked confused by his sudden rage. She didn't understand why he was so mad at her.

When he saw her clueless face he shut his eyes and took in a deep breath. He could still sense his arms shaking because of the scare.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be so harsh. It's just that..." he left the sentence unfinished, without knowing what to say at all.

"Hey" she said with her soft voice, placing her hand on his tensed shoulders and rubbing it gently "Come on, tell it to me. It's okay"

"I- I couldn't find you anywhere and I thought that you had drowned..." he said as he searched for her eyes. He looked so lost that she couldn't help but drag him into her arms, desperate to comfort him.

"Don't worry it's okay now, see? Perfectly safe" she said staring into his piercing eyes. For minutes, they stayed like that, feeling their breaths warming each other's lips. Their bodies would touch for the briefest of the moments, making both of them crave for the next caress.

He rested his forehead against hers and slowly, he touched her lips ever so slightly that she thought she had imagined it. Placing a hand on her neck, he drew her closer until their bodies were fully touching each other.

He let out a delighted sigh when he felt her breasts pressing against his chest. Feeling the heat taking control of his body, he lowered his head to kiss, devoured her mouth with all the passion he had been keeping for the past years. She wrapped her legs around his waist and cupped his head with her small hands. She returned his kisses with the same urge and passion, leaving him breathless.

When she pressed her lower body against the right place he broke the kiss and clenched his teeth. It was deliciously painful, and he was more than eager to taste every ounce of it. He thought he would die when he heard her moaning his name against his neck. Her lush lips were running up and down his neck, bitting softly his ear from time to time and sending him shivers to every part of his body. He moved his hands down to cup her from below, desperate to feel her closer. However, when he did that, he felt a sharp pain on his side that brought him back from the mist of pleasure that had clouded his mind.

"Fili?" Zahira called him in a tremulous voice. She followed his gaze and found him with his hand on the bandage and the water around it dying in red "Fili!" she grabbed him by his free arm and dragged him to the other side of the waterfall. They got out of the water, not caring about their nudeness or, more specifically, her nudeness.

"It's okay really, I'm fine it just opened a bit" he said trying to calm her. He cupped her cheek and rubbed it with his thumb, wiping a solitary tear. She shut her eyes and let him comfort her fleetingly before she healed him again.

Once she had taken care of him, her mind registered the fact that she was still naked so, blushing profusely, she ran toward the bushes where she had left her clothes and put them on again.

When she came back, she saw that he had fallen asleep and she couldn't resist the temptation of placing his head onto her lap and caress his hair. He seemed so defenseless like that, so calm and peaceful that she didn't dare to awake him.

"Why did you had to leave me?" she whispered absently.

"I didn't" replied him taking her by surprise. She stopped her caresses, unsure of what to do or say "Please don't, I like it when you do that" he said sounding half asleep.

"What did you mean that you didn't?" she asked, resuming her movements "One day you proposed me and the next, you went out of the village to kill a dragon without even saying goodbye"

"But I asked you to wait for me. I told you I would come back for you if you still wanted to be with me" he said, now fully awake. Both of them were frowning at each other confused.

"No you didn't. I think I would remember if the love of my life had told me something like that, don't you think?" she said sounding a bit exasperated.

"I gave you a letter asking you to meet me the morning I left town. I waited you for an hour, but you didn't show up" now it was his turn to feel exasperated. He rose from the ground and looked at her confused face "You never received that letter, didn't you?" he asked, realizing at once what had really happened. And when she shook her head, she just confirmed what he had been suspecting.

"I'm going to kill your sister" he said furiously as he hit the ground with his fist. She jumped in her place, surprised by his sudden rage.

"My sister? What does she has to do with all of this?"

"She was the one that told me that you didn't want to see me ever again. It was her who read my letter" he said through his clenched teeth.

"Tahira? She told you that?" she said feeling devastated. It couldn't have been her, she was her sister! Why would she-? And then, the answer appeared in her mind, so painfully clear that she was sure she would've fell to the ground if she hadn't been seated.

Of all the evil things her sister had done to her throughout their lives, this one was the cruelest of them all.

"Zahira?" called her Fili when she went silent. He couldn't imagine how she had to be feeling right now. After all, finding that your sister, your own blood, did something like this to you must be pretty hard to swallow.

When she looked at him again, her eyes were lit with a burning fire. The fire that craved for revenge, a fire that showed how deep that treason had hit her. But that would not stop her from telling him what now was really important. She would deal with her sister later on.

"There was something I wanted to tell you" she said holding his hands and pulling him to the ground once more "The orcs attacking me was not entirely a coincidence"

"What do you mean?"

"Someone had payed them to kidnap, and maybe kill, those who belong to the line of Durin. Your family Fili" she said in a soft voice. He tensed his jaw and asked:

"Who?"

"I don't know, I didn't saw her" she said shaking her head. He cursed under his breath.

"Then we're screwed"

"Not exactly. You see, I did recognized her voice, and we could catch her if I manage to hear her again" she said pleased with her idea. He shifted his head to gaze her and taking her off guard, he pressed his lips against her in a hard kiss.

"Have I ever told how much I love you?" he said grinning at her.

"Not enough" replied her amused.

"We should rest now, tomorrow we're going on a hunt" he said pulling her closer to him and placing her head against his chest.

"Indeed we are" she whispered, eager to confront the rat she had as a sister.

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**Well, here it ends. I hope that you all liked it and if you found any mistake let me know so that I can fix them. And please, don't forget to leave a review to let me know if it is going good or what.  
**

**Thanks**

**C.A.**


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